SCHMID impresses international professional audience

12.05.2016 |

Being one of the hosts of the International Technical Conference of Photo Chemical Machining Institute (PCMI) SCHMID impresses industry experts from all over the world

Twice a year the American Photochemical Milling Institute organizes an International Technical Conference for photochemical metalworking industry. After Canada and Israel, this year’s conference took place in Ludwigsburg from May 7 – 11. From there the 90 participants visited the TRUMPF GmbH + Co. KG in Ditzingen and Ätztechnik Herz GmbH & Co. KG in Epfendorf a. N., as well as the Gebr. SCHMID GmbH in Freudenstadt. The Freudenstadt-based family business, chosen to be host and co-creator of the conference, showed the visitors round the technology company on Wednesday. In the assembly and production hall the experts from all parts of the world could follow the complete manufacturing process of a SCHMID system – from the manufacture of containers up to the last production step of ongoing test Operation. In German “Photo Chemical Milling” is also referred to as “Formteilätzen”. In this process two-dimensional parts are produced from thin metal sheets or foils with very precise and filigree perforations or one and two-sided indentations by masking and etching. Thanks to the chemical metalworking the tooling costs otherwise required can be omitted. In addition, the material is neither thermally nor mechanically stressed. Since the late 90s, SCHMID is well-established in the field of photochemical milling and since then has worked together with renowned customers like Braun, the manufacturer of electric shavers who uses SCHMID systems for the production of shear blades for electric shavers. There is a wide range of applications: A Swiss luxury watch manufacturer utilizes SCHMID system for inscriptions and deep etching of his high-quality watch cases. A German automotive supplier produces loudspeaker grilles made of stainless steel for luxury passenger cars. More examples can be found in medical technology or mechanical engineering. The visitors were impressed by the problem-solving expertise of the globally active SCHMID Group, employing 480 people at the headquarters in Freudenstadt, and manufacturing, inter alia, wet processing equipment for the electronics and solar industries.